1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to mobile communications devices, methods, and systems. More particularly, the invention relates to mapping wireless proximity identificator to subscriber identity for hotspot based wireless services for mobile terminals.
2. Description of Prior Art
“Hotspot” based wireless services relate to adhoc networks using short-range wireless systems, typically Bluetooth, and provide proximity based wireless services to mobile terminals at “hotspots” or public spaces where people crowd together—airport terminals, shopping malls, sporting events and the like. The hotspot services can be related to any type of service associated with the hotspot, e.g. Internet connection; airline reservations, shopping, real time ticket purchase for sporting events and amusement park admission, billing services for wireless communication within the coverage area, and the like. A hotspot can be tailored to and dedicated to one service only or provide a range of related services, e.g. airline, train and bus schedules at different terminals; hotel, motels, residences and the like The services are provided in a coverage area via a hotspot access point or hotspot server which at the front end uses 802.11 or WLAN technology and at the back end provides a high speed wired or wireless connection to the Internet. Presently, short-range wireless systems allow a mobile wireless terminal coupled to an access point to resume an Internet contact with a service provider after the contact has been interrupted by the mobile device moving out of the coverage area of the access point. See Ser. No. 09/985,193, filed Nov. 1, 2001, assigned to the same assignee of the present invention and fully incorporated herein.
Hotspot wireless systems, however, do not provide service providers with the ability to contact a mobile device after moving out of the coverage area of the access point serving the service provider. Further, hotspot wireless system are not able to recognize a mobile device having received past services upon entering the coverage area or continue consumer relations with the mobile device after leaving the coverage area. Moreover, many hotspot services are not browser/Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) based and rely upon Short Messaging Service (SMS)/Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) An advantage of SMS/MMS messaging is Global System Mobile (GSM) based terminals do not require any type of additional client functionality since SMS/MMS messaging is a standard feature in such terminals.
It would be desirable in hotspot wireless systems to provide a wireless identificator for a terminal to allow a service provider to maintain an established service session with a mobile device when the mobile device leaves the coverage of the access point. It would be further desirable to enable a hotspot to map the wireless identificator to subscriber or user identity for terminal recognition. It would be still further desirable to allow the service provider to provide alternative communication links with the mobile device when the short-range link is opened. It would be still further desirable to incorporate a service provider in an access point with the option of selecting alternative communication links, both short-range and cellular, to maintain communication sessions with the mobile device when the mobile device leaves the coverage area or continue consumer relations with the terminal at later dates when special services are available from the service provider. The incorporation of the service provider into the access point as a stand-alone-terminal would lower hardware costs through integrated solutions and lower communication costs by direct communication with the user.
Prior art of interest with respect to proximity based services includes:
1) WO 02/076041 A2, published Sep. 26, 2002 discloses a communication system comprising a beacon storing a portion of available data and having access to all of the available data over a first network. The beacon is arranged to communicate with a client terminal over a second network to supply data from the stored portion of available data. The client terminal has access to all of the available data over a third network. Upon a request by a client for data of the available data not within the stored portion, a network is selected from the first network and the third network in dependence on one or more predetermined criteria, the requested data being accessed over the selected network.
2) U.S. Pat. No. 6,400,722 issued Jun. 4, 2002 discloses a wireless data network includes a wireless packet switched data network for end users that divides mobility management into local, micro, macro and global connection handover categories and minimizes handoff updates according to the handover category. The network integrates MAC handoff messages with network handoff messages. The network separately directs registration functions to a registration server and direct routing functions to inter-working function units. The network provides an intermediate XTunnel channel between a wireless hub (also called access hub AH) and an inter-working function unit (IWF unit) in a foreign network, and it provides an IXTunnel channel between an inter-working function unit in a foreign network and an inter-working function unit in a home network. The network enhances the layer two tunneling protocol (L2TP) to support a mobile end system, and it performs network layer registration before the start of a PPP communication session.
3) U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,914 issued Jun. 17, 2003 discloses a method and apparatus provide location based filtering for searching for information in response to a request from a mobile handset. The handset detects location information from the mobile network with which the handset is in communication and forwards the location information as part of an information request to an information database. The location information is used as a filter for selecting a response to the information request.
None of the prior art discloses or suggests a hotspot access point (a) enabling a service provider to maintain an established service session with a mobile terminals that leaves the physical coverage of the access point; (b) continuing consumer relations with a terminal after departure from the coverage area or at later times for special services of interest to a user; (c) communicating with the terminal via SMS/MMS messaging; (d) selecting optional communication links to maintain a communication session between a mobile device and a service provider when the terminal leaves the hotspot coverage area, and (c) incorporating a service provider in an access point to select a communication link in establishing a communication session with a mobile device while lowering hardware costs and communication costs.